I had a wonderful conversation today with my friend, Rich, who supports his mother with dementia from afar. Mom still lives at home with Rich’s dad. And while she requires some assistance with any process involving more than 2 steps, there is much that Mom is still able to do on her own.
Once, Mom was an accomplished baker. Rich recalls coming home from school to freshly baked cookies and other treats. Homemade bread was routine. And birthday cakes never came from a bakery or a box.
Mom doesn’t bake any more – Dad is a great guy but he doesn’t have the skill or patience to support any project that involves ingredients and an oven. Rich, on the other hand, is completely at home in the kitchen. It is his meditation space. It soothes him, as he knows it always did his mom.
Recently, Rich hit upon an idea. He measured out all of the ingredients for a fairly simple quick-bread recipe. He labeled them well and put them in a box. He shipped the box to his parents’ home along with a list for Dad of the ingredients that would not do well in the mail – butter and a couple of eggs.
On the appointed day and time, Rich, equal parts nerves and excitement, initiated a Zoom call with his mother. With tech assistance from Dad, Rich and his Mom spent a glorious hour together over Zoom, each baking the same thing in their own kitchens. Rich talked Mom through each of the steps and was pleasantly surprised at the skills she had retained.
He says he’s going to do it again soon. Dad has offered to buy the ingredients if Rich provides a list.
Whether you’re supporting a person from afar or from within the same household–how can you help the person with dementia enjoy things that were once meaningful? Remember that Zinnia is here to support you. Set the tone for a baking session by first watching our Baking video. Watch one of our art videos before setting out the paints or pastels. Watch a gardening video before going outside to pull some weeds.
Thanks for reading, and take good care!
